Lee Expects Good Year For Yardling Wrestlers

It looks as though the long drought is over for Crimson wrestling. The third consecutive strong freshman team should almost complete the task of changing Harvard wrestling squads from patsy to powerhouse.

Coach Johnny Lee says his current team is even better than last year's squad which lost only two matches and sent six of its members to the varsity.

Only the standout undefeated Yardling team of two years ago rates an edge over the current squad, but Lee wouldn't be surprised if this year's team also won all its matches.

One is immediately impressed by the small number of wrestlers on the squad, only ten for the eight positions. However, Lee prefers it that way. "There is no dead wood on the team," he explained, "and therefore we can get things done. Of course if anyone gets injured, we've had it."

Three Outstanding Wrestlers

The team boasts three outstanding wrestlers, Hal Pouser at 123, Sam Huntington at 167, and Pete Stanley at 177.

Lee was enthusiastic about Pouser in particular, who, he claims, is better in the standing position than any other Harvard wrestler in his recollection. Pouser, who wrestled at Governor Dummer, scored a pin in the Yardlings' 26 to 5 win over Dartmouth, and against M.I.T., he gained a decision over Tech's best man.

Huntington, according to Lee, has made himself into a fine wrestler by sheer hard work. He was the only member of the squad to enter the Wilkes Tournament over the Christmas vacation, and after a first round win, lost to Ed DeWitt, NCAA champion from Pitt.

Stanley, another Governor Dummer wrestler, was a New England Scholastic Champion in his weight class last year. Lee calls him a quick learner, whose main failing is his aggressiveness. He must learn to become a more conservative wrestler, especially when he is on top, Lee noted.

Among the more experienced of the others are Nick Esterbrook at 147 and Andy Pettit at 157. Esterbrook previously wrestled at Milton and he gained one of the Yardling's three pins against the Engineers.

Pettit is actually a 147-pounder, who has moved up a class. He could be potentially a fine wrestler if he worked harder. So far this season, he has scored pins in both his matches, and he wrestled especially well against his M.I.T. opponent.

Spencer Jourdain at 157 and Karl Kludt at 130 both lack experience, but both are exceptionally hard workers who should benefit from Lee's coaching. Tom Oxnard at 137 placed in the New England Scholastics last year, but he too lacks experience. Bill Hurley, the lone heavyweight, is a former Tabor Academy wrestler.

One of the most interesting members on the squad is Jim Nelson, who is the number one substitute in three positions, from 167 to heavyweight. Nelson, who had ever wrestled before, is a graduate of the begineer's group, an innovation this year, composed of freshmen wrestlers who have had little or no wrestling experience and who meet every day. Lee is exceptionally enthusiastic over Nelson, who learns quickly, has a lot of ability, and "is as strong as a bull."

Conditioning Needed

The big problem facing the team is a lack of conditioning. Wrestling, unlike most sports, demands that each participant be in top shape for the nine minutes of all-out effort. In an effort to provide this, Lee plans to enter his team in five local YMCA meets during February and March.

"Providing that we stay in one piece, and that the calibre of our opposition is the same as it usually is, this team could go all the way," Lee predicted.